Select a link to the left to view our Calendar or Newsletter.

As Family Outreach (East) Dallas begins the 19th year of service, I want to stop and thank a great number of volunteers for having the vision to protect children by strengthening their families.  By committing to help all children learn, grow and develop to realize their full potential and even ‘bloom where they are planted’, you have made an important difference in the lives of many.  I thank the Board volunteers for having the courage to support this vision and thank our families for letting us into their lives.

This year, the trained volunteers and students that are working with families include Didi Kidder, Stephanie Russell, Myra Williams, and Andrea Alaverez.  I am grateful to each of you for the consistent support you offer families, for helping them see a brighter future and celebrating their progress.  I thank our newest ‘working treasure", Vicki Baab, LBSW, who has been instrumental in helping us grow a new “Parents as Teachers” program in addition to offering Parent Education in five area High Schools.  This has offered The Center a chance to incorporate the curriculum from Parents as Teachers into our in-home mentoring program, expanding both the number of families reached and offering the specific visits that are rich with developmental information for each child.  Since attending the Parents as Teachers birth to 3 year institute, I am finding the families excited to have the different ‘lesson plans’ rich with this information.

I am thankful to our Board for giving me this new opportunity.   Over 100 different parents are grateful to our tireless parenting chairs Betty Pettigrew and Janie Britton for facilitating programs offered each Monday evening throughout the year.   Thank you Yvette Richardson for joining the parenting team, your hands-on experience is a gift to all as we are learning together about the challenges of 21st century parenting.

Finally during this Thanksgiving season, 1300 children thank and acknowledge our busy "We Help Ourselves" (WHO) presenters, this includes the 2007 Chair, Ann Collins, as well as Toni Horak, Sarah Losinger, Didi Kidder, Mary Schaar, and Hilda Brewer. Our children’s safety is very important and thank you for helping children learn ways they can help ensure their own future safety.

For contributing the nuts and bolts of Board work, we are grateful to Didi Coker and Ann Scharber who labor with details and financials that are critical to us.  I am thankful for our Executive Director, Michele Focht and our office manager, Erin Carmack for keeping the belief in what we do alive and well.

So, as we express our gratitude, we must never forget that the highest appreciation is not to utter words, but to live by them…John Fitzgerald Kennedy

To all of you who live by them - Happy Thanksgiving!

Jane - Director of Social Work Services